Welcome to another Tuesday celebrating bookish events, from Tuesday/First Chapter/Intros, hosted by Bibliophile by the Sea; and Teaser Tuesdays hosted by Should Be Reading.
Today I’ve decided to go back to the past to read about events that happened in August 1969. It was a time I remember well. I lived in a nice suburban house with my husband and two small children. We were sitting on our lovely patio the night after we heard…horrified by the events of that time.
Restless Souls: The Sharon Tate Family’s Account…, by Alisa Statman with Brie Tate, is the family’s story.
Intro/Beginning: Patti – August 9, 1969
“My God, Sharon’s been murdered.” Barely able to get the words out, my mother collapsed against the scarred door frame and then to her knees. I looked up from my favorite cartoon in time to see the first tear spill from her eyes.
Paralyzed by her emotion but not understanding it, I could only stare at her while the seconds passed, waiting for an explanation. Her lips fluttered, but there was no sound. Leaning forward, I strained to hear. Then, in a scarcely audible whisper, she said, “My baby’s dead.”
As if floating to me in delayed time and space, her words eventually reached my ears, forever altering the stability of my life.
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Would you keep reading? Even knowing most of what happened from the news and TV movies, I am eager to read the family’s perspective.
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Teaser: Patti:
The media swarmed the downtown courthouse like journalistic sharks drawn into the feeding frenzy by the Manson family. Months before the trial started, reporters played a high-stakes, cutthroat game for exclusive interviews with the suspects. (p. 119)
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Amazon Description: The gruesome murders of the beautiful and talented actress Sharon Tate, her unborn child and four others that same night at the hands of the notorious “Manson family” rocked the nation. As one of the most horrific crimes in modern history, these atrocities, the trial and the subsequent conviction of Charles Manson and his followers caused a media sensation, spawning movies, documentaries and bestselling books, including the classic Helter Skelter. A defining moment in an era otherwise associated with radical peace, love and understanding, this incident is one that still resonates with millions today.
Yet while this crime left an indelible mark on society’s consciousness, it was, first and foremost, a shattering personal tragedy for those closest to Sharon—the loving family left to cope with the emotional devastation of her loss. Now, after nearly forty years, their story is finally revealed.
Compiled by close family friend Alisa Statman and Sharon’s niece Brie Tate, Restless Souls draws on a wealth of material including interviews with the Tates, personal letters, tape recordings, home movies, public interviews, private journals, and official documents to provide a powerful, poignant, and affecting four-decade, three-generation memoir of crime and punishment, anguish and hope, rage and love, that is both a chronicle of death and a celebration of life.
Extending beyond all previous accounts, Restless Souls is the most revealing, riveting, and emotionally raw account not just of these heinous murders, the hunt and capture of the killers and the behind-the-scenes drama of their trials, but of the torment victims families’ endure for years in the wake of such senseless violence….
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Now I’m off to see what the rest of you are sharing….
It’s a nonfiction? Oh my, it sounds terrible. 😦
Thanks for dropping by my Teaser Tuesdays post this week!
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Terrible good or terrible bad? lol
And yes, definitely nonfiction. I think it means more to me because of living through it while it was happening…thanks for visiting, Jade.
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I know the story of Sharon Tate and would hesitate to read it because it’s so sad and yes, bloody. I’d listen to someone tell me about the book though. Nice first paragraph tease.
Here’s mine: Dearest Rose
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I think I’d rather read it than watch a movie…I watched the Helter-Skelter movie when it was on…and those images stayed in my head.
Thanks for visiting, Harvee….
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This has always been a fascinating case.
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Definitely….thanks for stopping by, Autumn…and enjoy your read!
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I’ve always been fascinated with this story. Thanks for sharing & stopping by my teasers today! Happy Tuesday! 😀
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You’re welcome, Jen…I feel as though I lived through this story, so I’m always fascinated by new perspectives. Thanks for stopping by.
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This does sound intriguing. I know very little about the Manson episode. Happy reading!
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Thanks for stopping by, Kathy…I’m intrigued with the whole thing, but I’m very curious about the family’s perspective.
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Such a fascinating story! I would continue… enjoy.
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Thanks, JoAnn…I’m eager to plunge in, too. Glad you could stop by.
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Interesting teaser!
Here’s my teaser!
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Thanks, Stephanie…glad you could stop by!
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This must have been a difficult book for the family to collaborate on. It sounds like something my mom would have liked (she liked memoirs adn biographies), but not me. Thanks for visiting!
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Yes, I am sure the process was very painful, Heather. Thanks for visiting!
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It took me a while to figure out what you were talking about as the year doesn’t mean anything to me. I don’t know if I’d read on or not. I the light of all the other killings, mass murders etc in my lifetime, it falls to a dim memory.
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Yes, the time and events were very real to me, because of living in California, and feeling connected to the movie industry and the actors. Thanks for stopping by, Alice Audrey.
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I remember that crime and I don’t think I would like to read about it. kelley—the road goes ever ever on
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It is definitely not for everyone, Kelley…thanks for stopping by.
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Thank you for posting about another interesting book! Like you, I’m interested in hearing the story from the family’s perspective since all I know about the Sharon Tate murder is from newspaper headlines and TV news. Though this might be a difficult story to read, I do enjoy some nonfiction and I’d like to learn more.
My Teaser is from CONFESSIONS OF A PREDATORY LENDER.
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Yes, I think it will be difficult…but I have always been fascinated by this time period and the movie industry people. Thanks for visiting, Sandra.
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Thanks for stopping by my blog today! Enjoy your read!
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Thanks, Tiina…glad you could visit….
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I read Helter Skelter when I was babysitting (age 15 or so), and it scared me to death, but everytime I babysat, I kept reading it. Not sure I would read this one.
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Yes, it’s pretty scary…the difference, however, being that this one is from the family’s point of view, rather than the perpetrators’…..Thanks for visiting, Nise.
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I was in high school in 1969 and recall reading Helter Skelter when it can out and being frightened:) I don’t think I’d read this one, but a very good intro.
Thanks for joining in – I appreciate it.
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It was definitely a horrific event…and I found Helter Skelter very frightening, too. Thanks for stopping by, Diane…and for hosting.
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Great teaser! Enjoy your week.
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I forgot to say that I was young when this all happened, but I remember hearing all about it. I watched Helter Skelter and would probably find this book fascinating.
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Yes, so was I, and because I had two young children, one just a baby, it felt especially horrific, since Sharon Tate was pregnant when she was murdered. Thanks for stopping by, Yvonne.
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Oh wow. I bet this is fascinating. Thanks for sharing!
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Thanks for stopping by, Andrea…and so far so good. If a story about something horrible can be considered “good.”
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Wow, sounds like an intense read! Thanks for stopping by.
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Intense is on the mark, Beth….thanks for stopping by, and enjoy your read.
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Yes! I don’t actually know much detail about this story so I’d keep reading (even though true-crime is not my usual reading genre).
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Thanks, Books are my favourite and best….I thought this one, being an “insider” view of the events, would add something to what I already know. Glad you could stop by.
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It’s still one of the most fascinating cases. It would be great to see another view of the story. Thanks for sharing & stopping by my blog earlier!
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I agree, Rain….and even though I was young and aware of what was happening, from the news and then in later movies, nothing gave us insight into the Tate family and what they were experiencing. I’m enjoying it so far. Thanks for visiting.
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